Bitumen monetization using a novel processing sequence

ABSTRACT

This invention monetizes bitumen reserves utilizing proven refining processes to ultimately produce, primarily, high quality refined oil products. At the same time, a unique operating sequence and mode of operation produces precursors, the primary building blocks, for the petrochemical, fertilizer and energy co-products markets. Essentially, in producing refined oil products, the feedstock requirements of associated industries are satisfied in such a manner that the integration of these entities produces a higher rate of return for the combined entity than the sum of each of the individual entities. Furthermore, the process is tailored with broad functionality as to be able to “dial for profit” dependent upon the agreed upon business for the integrated facility specific to a certain geographical area.  
     A further and important inclusion is the use of processes to attain zero emissions of environmental deleterious substances i.e. a profitable use for all co-products during processing.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a new concept to monetize bitumenreserves using refinery processes in a unique operating sequence andmode tailored to maximize the value and the number of and access toproduct markets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] As light crude oil supplies decline there will be increasingrequirements to capitalise on the world's bitumen reserves locatedlargely in Canada, Venezuela and the former Soviet Union. Currentbitumen/heavy crude oil production is limited, principally by fourfactors, namely, market demand, supply of diluent to make the bitumentransportable, pipeline transportation capacity and intensive capitalrequirements to either create additional demand by upgrading bitumeneither in the field or receiving refineries and/or provide additionaltransportation capacity to receiving refineries.

[0003] There are two traditional approaches to removing theselimitations. The first is to secure the supply of diluent to blend withthe bitumen to increase pipeline transportation capacity and addupgrading capacity at receiving refineries. The second approach is tomine the bitumen and upgrade it to a lighter synthetic crude oil in thefield and transport the resulting synthetic oil or selected componentsto receiving refineries capable of managing the quality differences withnaturally occurring lighter crude oils traditionally processed at theserefineries. Both of these approaches leave the smaller independent heavycrude oil producers vulnerable to the larger integrated producers thathave stronger access to diluent, markets, transportation, upgradingtechnology and capital.

[0004] Presently, bitumen is processed to produce upgraded crudecommonly called synthetic crude. This synthetic crude is furtherprocessed into predominately refined oil products or chemicalsprecursors at refineries or petrochemical facilities.

[0005] At these upgrader facilities such as Syncrude and Suncor inCanada and PDVSA in Venezuela, co-products such as sand, coke andsulphur are stored until an economic market is available. Consequently,large piles of coke and by product sulphur are found in these locations.As well as huge ponds of hard to settle sand fines are located at thesefacilities.

[0006] A component of the facilities, the fuel gas system contains somepetrochemical and fertilizer components that are burned as fuel ratherthan produced for market. In some instances, portions of these materialsare recovered as a liquid stream, presently propane and heaviermaterial, (C3+). However, these amounts are small by products ratherthan defined and planned production of very significant portion of theproduction as petrochemicals and fertilizer precursors. The objective ofthe existing upgraders is to maximize liquid oil production therebyminimizing gas formation as well as by products. Feedstock for theseupgrades is a very heavy bitumen or oilsands, containing besides oil:

[0007] Sand

[0008] Aluminium

[0009] Metals vanadium, nickel, and precious metals

[0010] Water as the oil is in emulsion form

[0011] Sulphur

[0012] Sand

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] This invention is a unique application of several conventionalstate of the art proven process technologies in a unique sequence toproduce a broad slate of products from oil sand (bitumen) feedstock. Thecombination of processes will produce ethylene, propylene, otherpetrochemicals, fertilizer (urea plus potassium sulphate), cement andaggregates, electricity, gasoline, distillate transportation fuel andheavy crude diluent. The project is unique in that it provides a broadrange of co-product capability to respond to market fluctuations.Additionally, it allows the pooling of diverse interests to benefit fromthe various synergies, and allows participants to minimize theirinvestment and spread the risk over a wider spectrum than each couldindividually.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] This invention includes the definitive plan to produce thefollowing major co-products from bitumen:

[0015] Refined oil products

[0016] Ethylene

[0017] Propylene

[0018] Fertilizer precursors

[0019] Diluent

[0020] Cement and aggregate precursors

[0021] This invention produces significant quantities of the variousco-products not a by-product mode of operation. Each of the co-productsis manufactured at a world scale production rate.

[0022] These co-products are all produced from Bitumen. Bitumen is aunique heavy crude having the following properties: Value Property UnitMin Max API degree −5 23 Sulphur weight % 7 Heavy Metals weight % 3000V, Fe, Ni Fines weight % 0.2 Nitrogen weight % 1.5 Hydrogen weight % 911 Carbon weight % 81 85 Ash weight % 0.5

[0023] Presently bitumen deposits are located in Alberta-Canada,Venezuela, Former Soviet Union, USA and Latin America. This inventionapplies to these locations as well as new locations to be explored inthe future and meeting the properties above.

[0024] This invention moves toward the ultimate “Zero Emissions” conceptin that no by-products are stored for future use. All liquid, solid andgaseous products produced as a result of this invention are fullyutilized for current market consumption. “So called “global warminggases” including: carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide are available for use inenhanced oil recovery processes as miscible flooding inputs. Othercomponents such as nitrogen are also available for flooding activitiesor commercial applications. This invention achieves the zero emissiontargets by utilizing all process product and intermediate streams.

[0025] This invention provides a method to monetize bitumen reservesusing three strategies:

[0026] Maximizing cracking margin

[0027] Co-product optimization

[0028] Co-operatives business venture

[0029] Bitumen is refined to refined oil products, gasoline, jet fueland diesel. The increased value from the crude price to refined oilproducts is known as cracking margin. This invention takes this approachto bitumen at one location. In addition co-product production of:

[0030] Ethylene

[0031] Propylene

[0032] Fertilizer pre-cursors

[0033] Diluent,

[0034] Cement and Aggregate precursors

[0035] is a significant portion of the product mix. At the same time,the utility requirements including:

[0036] Steam

[0037] Electrical power

[0038] Hydrogen

[0039] Steam

[0040] Nitrogen

[0041] are produced to satisfy the process and external market needs.

[0042] The economic driver for the complex is to maximize the addedvalue to Bitumen by producing all the products. As the market placeshifts to favour the production of a particular co-product, theoperation is changed to accomplish this objective.

[0043] This invention provides a method for several competitive businessentities to co-operate as a business venture. This co-operation is aninterdependency of corporate strategies to secure, purchase and processbitumen feedstock. This co-operation is inherent as each of the businessentities meets the overall strategy via co-operation. The businessventure is composed of the following:

[0044] bitumen producers

[0045] co-product purchasers

[0046] refined oil product marketers

[0047] service and utility suppliers

[0048] The producers require a secure market for their bitumen. At thesame time, the producers desire an economic return on the bitumen. Thebusiness venture requires a secure source of feedstock from thesuppliers and gives a value of refined oil products for the bitumenproducers and a share in the co-product revenue for the bitumen.

[0049] The co-product producers require a secure feedstock for the longterm as well as a source of low priced feedstock. The business ventureprovides a secure feedstock supply given by the producers at a valuethat is one of the lowest valued feedstocks in the world, bitumen thatcompetes price-wise with coal. The co-product producers purchase theprecursors for their business at market price but share in the corporatebuyers value added business.

[0050] The refined oil product marketers require increasingly highquality products for the North American market place at competitivewholesale pricing. The marketers require access to the markets viatransportation modes. The co-operative business venture providessignificant supply 2% of the USA marketplace at competitive pricing andprovides the transportation pipeline to access the USA market place. Therefined oil product marketers add the retail margin to the businesswhilst paying competitive pricing for the transportation/access to themarketplace.

[0051] The service and utility suppliers require a secure market placefor their services. The co-operative business venture supplies a securemarket at competitive pricing and the service and utility suppliersshare in the return on the services provided for any capital ventured.

[0052] Each of the participants provides such capital assets that can beutilized by the co-operative business venture to reduce the new capitalrequired achieving the venture's business objectives.

[0053] This invention provides a method to maximize the value of bitumenreserves at the geographic location of the reserves. Rather thanproducing bitumen for sale at another location, the added valueidentified above is allocated to the location wherein the process isconstructed. In these cases, the process is constructed near the reservelocation so the added value remains in the same location. Participantswith business interests in the reserve location are chosen toparticipate. Consequently, the value added is also retained by thebusiness venture in the location of the reserves.

[0054] This creates a host of complimentary values for the geographiclocation including:

[0055] jobs

[0056] skilled jobs

[0057] taxes at all levels

[0058] royalties

[0059] service industries

[0060] infrastructure

DETAILS OF THE INVENTION

[0061] Several process sequences can derive the benefits of thisinvention. The following sequence of proven process technologies ischosen to illustrate how the concept may be applied to give a detailedprocessing scheme for this invention. In reference to FIG. 1, Bitumenfeed 1, is received as a diluted bitumen feedstock to the process andundergoes solids separation in the separator 2, removing cementintermediates for further processing by the cement co-productparticipant. Diluent is then recovered in the diluent recovery processunit 3, to return diluent to the producer participant in order thatadditional bitumen can be transported to the process. The bitumenundergoes crude distillation 4, either a vacuum distillation or a supercritical distillation process that produces feed for the Fluid catalyticcracker 10, and/or feedstock for the Partial Oxidation process unit 5.Oxygen for this unit is supplied by a supplier participant that at thesame time produces nitrogen required in the process maintenance groupand the local miscible flood market. The partial oxidation gasifierproduct of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen can be processed intoadditional saturated hydrocarbons in the Fischer Tropse process unit 7,or utilized as feedstock for the fertilizer co-product participant or ashydrogen for treating crude or Fluid Cracking unit distillate productsin the distillate unicracker process 8. Alternatively the petrochemicalco-product participant can utilize the olefins from the gasifierincluding ethylene, propylene, and butenes. The gas stream from thepartial oxidation unit is purified in the gas treater unit 6, to removecontaminants including sulphur and particulate material. The sulphur canbe recovered as a liquid or solid or, alternatively can be recovered asa sulphate using the hot lime process. The co-product participant canuse this material as feedstock to produce other fertilizer products.

[0062] Hydrocarbon produced by the Fischer Tropse process unit can bedistilled in the distillation column 9, to produce feedstock for theFluid Catalytic cracker unit 10, and/or blending components for gasolinemanufacturing in the gasoline blending unit 13, or the fuel cellblending unit 15. The Fluid Catalytic cracker can be utilized to producepetrochemical precursor C2 to C5 molecules. Alternatively, the C4 and C5components can be handled by the alkylation units 11, and 12, to producegasoline in the gasoline blending unit 13.

[0063] The distillate unicracker unit 8, can be utilized to produceadditional naphtha or treat the distillates to diesel and jet fuel inunit 14, that removes trace unsaturated components.

[0064] Naphtha from crude distillation unit 4, can be further treated inthe Naphtha Hydrotreater 16, utilizing hydrogen from the gas treater 6.Purified naphtha can be distilled in the naphtha distillation unit 17 torecover C5/C6 and naphtha to feed the Naphtha reformer 18. The C5/C6stream ex the naphtha distillation can be isomerized in the once throughC5/C6 Isomerization unit 19. The isomer product C5/C6 can be blendedinto gasoline in the gasoline blending unit 13. The normal paraffinC5/C6 can be blended into fuel cell gasoline in the fuel cell blendingunit 15. The naphtha reformer product produces light ends to the lightends treater 20, and reformate to be feed for the BTX Extraction process21. BTX petrochemicals are recovered from unit 21 and fractionated intohigh purity petrochemical precursors for the co-product participant inthe BTX Fractionation Unit 22. Non extracted material from the BTXextraction unit 22 is blended into gasoline in the gasoline blendingunit 13. Some components of true BTX Fractionation unit 22 can beremoved and blended into fuel cell gasoline in the fuel cell blendingunit 15.

[0065] Surplus low quality fuel ex the gas treater can be burned in aco-generation unit to produce electricity and steam.

[0066] Each of the above process units are available from at least onesupplier, some are available from several suppliers. The participantsthrough optimization can set the parameters in the above process schemeto maximize revenue and increase the added value to the bitumenfeedstock.

[0067] All these products can be produced to meet market demand and canbe increased or reduced to follow market pricing.

[0068] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, bitumen isheavy crude having a density of 23° API or lower.

[0069] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the processtechnologies belong to the license owner. This invention does not claiminvention rights to these technologies but rather the sequencing andoperating mode only for these technologies.

[0070] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, bitumen isusually found as a mixture of oil and sand referred to as tarsands.

[0071] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, diluent isadded to bitumen to lower its viscosity in order that the resultingmixture of bitumen and diluent can be pumped in a pipeline economically.

[0072] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, thesequence and operating severity of the refinery processes form theprocessing basis for this invention.

[0073] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, theproducts produced from the process are oil and gas products, composed ofmethane, ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene, normal butane, isobutane, butadiene, butenes, normal pentane, iso pentane, gasoline,diesel, jet fuel, residual fuel oil.

[0074] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the coproducts produced from the process are hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbondioxide, electricity, cement components, aggregate components, potassiumsulphate, ammonia, and urea.

[0075] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the processwill be operated in such a manner to maximize the revenue generated fromthe products produced and meet product and co-product marketrequirements identified by the owners of the process from time to time.

[0076] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the processscheme will allow the individual owner to pool his interest with severalother owners and spread the financial risk.

[0077] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the processscheme will allow the individual owners the ability to produce or sellproducts for their own consumption at very competitive costs.

[0078] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the processwill allow the individual owners to minimize their investments.

[0079] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the processscheme provides individual owners with pooling of diverse intents.

I claim:
 1. A method to produce simultaneously refined oil,petrochemicals, and energy co-products from Bitumen.
 2. A method for azero emissions Bitumen process.
 3. A method for monetizing bitumenreserves by maximizing dollars from the process involving crackingmargin, co-product optimization and co-operative business venture.
 4. Abusiness venture to maximize value for the geographic location of theBitumen reserves.